Region 7 school district abandoning 'wish list' for coming year to keep budget increase low

Jason Siedzik

Published 12:00 am, Wednesday, February 27, 2013

WINSTED >> Uncertain economic times have led the Region 7 Board of Education to cut back on its wish list for the coming year.

Superintendent Judith Palmer presented a revised 2013-14 budget proposal to the board Wednesday night, requesting a total appropriation of $19,113,882 -- an increase of $551,942, or 2.97 percent.

The increase is also one percentage point above the increase in the 2012-13 budget, which totaled $18,561,940.

That figure does not include a number of requests from faculty members either, since -- as Palmer said -- "it's just not the year to come forward with any new initiatives."

"It's a budget to maintain this year," Palmer said, "to get us through this year when the state finances are in such lousy condition."

Noting rumors that "some news reports are saying that the current budget deficit for the state of CT could reach $1 billion," Palmer said her proposed budget holds off on numerous requested items or other planned initiatives, in an attempt to hold the budget line. Describing Governor Dannel Malloy's latest offering as "a mixed bag," Palmer said numerous programs have been put aside to keep the budget increase down. The increases are attributed mostly to thanks salary and insurance costs and other state mandates.

"As we go forward, we don't know what's going to survive this proposal," Palmer said of the state budget.

Removed from the original proposal were new teaching positions for art, business, English, technology education, math, science and social studies, which would have been necessary if the district had moved forward with high school reform and increased the number of credits a student needs for graduation. Palmer also said new support staff for special education and remedial support staff would not be hired, and that the district would not fund its computer replacement program next year.

"We don't have enough support to focus on those students moving from below basic to basic," Palmer said.

The proposed budget sets aside $60,000 for a student resource officer, following the trend of other nearby districts in response to Newtown school shooting in December 2012. Palmer discussed the position with Regional School District 10 superintendent Alan Beitman, whose student resource officer was officially introduced at that district's Monday night meeting. While Palmer said, "I have everything that Alan Beitman was willing to share with me at the time," the new position would likely draw plenty of candidates.

"There are a lot of highly qualified people who would be very interested," Palmer said.

Board of Education chair Molly Sexton Read said Region 10's implementation of the student resource officer gives the district more protection than in years past. Historically, student resource officers, under the auspices of the Connecticut State Police, would be pulled from schools to cover for other troopers who were sick or otherwise off duty. But Beitman drafted a memorandum of understanding, which states that while school is in session, the officer cannot be reassigned because of shortages elsewhere.

"That was what was so appealing about it," Sexton Read said.

Salaries account for more than half of the budget proposal. This group of line items will increase by $265,607, or 2.74 percent. Most of these new dollars come from contractual increases, as well as the student resource officer, another $62,250 for the substitute fund -- which Palmer said had been "habitually underfunded," necessitating mid-year transfers from former finance director Roger Newbury in past years -- and $12,000 for in-school suspension staff. The latter item would be required to retain the current level of discipline while principals Candy Perez and Ken Chichester are spending more time participating in teacher evaluations.

Benefits are also expected to increase by 7.71 percent, although district staff and insurance providers are hoping to knock down the total dollar amount from its projected increase of $209,640. The selectmen from all four towns in Region 7 will meet with employees of several insurance companies to discuss how the district can handle rapidly rising insurance costs on Thursday, although a 3 percent increase in worker's compensation, life insurance and long-term disability insurance is unavoidable. The current line item for health insurance is expected to increase by 9 percent if no reductions can be found.

Special education, as is the case in other districts, will account for another sizable increase in the budget. The main driver for the $127,518 increase in purchased services will be special education tuition, since -- as Palmer said -- "we have some students who need to be outplaced, and that's expensive." However, the increase in purchased services spending -- which already amounts to 4.94 percent -- will not be as bad as it could have been. Palmer said the district will apply $133,000 in credit from Shared Services to abate the $186,065 increase in special education tuition.

Overall, the budget proposal will tap Barkhamsted and New Hartford, for the most part, for the bulk of the funds. As presented, Barkhamsted's assessment would rise by $392,804, or 8.44 percent. New Hartford's assessment would increase by $476,422, which is the largest increase by total dollars, but the 5.66 percent increase means that Barkhamsted's increase is proportionally the largest. Norfolk and Colebrook would see comparatively small assessment increases at $16,339 and $5,534, respectively. Colebrook's assessment would rise by 0.30 percent, while Norfolk's would go up by 0.93 percent.

The budget increase would come down the heaviest on Barkhamsted due to enrollment figures. Palmer said their enrollment will drop by seven students overall, but Barkhamsted would be the only town sending more students to the regional school, contributing five more students. Colebrook will send seven fewer students to the school, while New Hartford's enrollment will decrease by five and Norfolk's will fall by six.

"There have already been budget cuts," said Sexton Read, "both in new programs not getting instituted but also in existing programs."